Friday is set up day for the Brighton Mini Maker Faire at the Dome. I’m really excited about this as visitors will be able to interact with the makers and learn new skills. I have enlisted the help of Sarah, one of our knitting group from Lewes so that will be helpful if I’m inundated with people wanting to make balls.
Follow the Brighton Mini Maker Faire on twitter #bmmf
and my progress #knitwit54
sample balls
August 31, 2011
Brighton Mini Maker Faire Sept 3rd
August 26, 2011
Giant pumpkin is complete-meet him at Middle Farm this weekend
Well it’s taken a couple of months and quite a lot of wool but now it’s finished at last and I can reveal it in all it’s glory. He will make his first live appearance at Middle Farm this weekend.
Come and say hello!
August 22, 2011
Gorgeous colours from nature
Dyeing is still in progress, the mulberries are still falling so I’m still picking them up. Had good results with weld, golden rod and buddleia, some lovely yellows and golds and all the berries are giving me pinks, purples and lavender shades. Most surprising is what happens if you add a little copper sulphate crystals to the pan with the plant liquor. Also found that stronger colours occur when sea salt is added to the dye pot liquor. More buddleia, golden rod, mulberries to come.
August 19, 2011
Biggest pumpkin in the world? it’s made of felt,so probably!
I’ve been working on this for a while, thought it would be fun to see how big a pumpkin I could felt. It’s not as large as I would have liked but nevertheless it is BIG. Made of clean sheep’s wool it has been made just with felting needles, about ten all in. I can’t weigh it as it’s too big for my kitchen scales but will weigh it as soon as it’s 100% complete. Still have the ribs, stalk, bottom and fronds to complete. It will make a great foot stool once completed.
I’m hoping it will make it into the Guiness book of world records. It has a 50″ circumference and stands 16″ tall (will be taller with stalk). What next you ask? Giant snowball? life size snowman?
August 11, 2011
Brighton Mini Makers Fair Sept 3rd 2011
Will be heading for the coast on Friday 2nd to set up my ball making workshop at the Dome in Brighton. I will be demonstrating how to make an easy jingly ball and a ball from a pom pom. Frantic ball making ongoing in between natural dyeing session.
August 9, 2011
National Trust Crowlink
Tucked away in the heart of the Sussex countryside lies this amazing National Trust area called Crowlink. In between Cuckmere Haven and Birling Gap some stunning countryside awaits discovery. Yes the car park costs £2.00 a day to park but you could spend that on a cup of coffee. Have a day outdoors with the children and enjoy the scenery on this beautiful piece of coastline. Be prepared for a bit of a hike,take a picnic, and be aware there are no loos for miles.
August 6, 2011
Time for dyeing-the natural way
With summer in full swing now is the time to gather dyestuffs from round and about. Next doors mulberrys are dropping to the ground and getting soggy in this rain so I have nip round there during a dry spell to pick them up. The first batch produced a lovely pinky mauve on silk and alpaca. Yesterday at Bentley Wildfowl I was allowed to pick some Golden Rod which has given me some lovely citrusy yellow on Falkland Island tops. A pound or so of elderberries has turned 100gms of Falkland Island tops a lovely mauve and the exhaust from the Golden Rod and elderberries is still in the pot with another 100gm of F.I.tops.
My earlier dye session this week turned out very blue, not with natural dyes I hasten to add but some vintage ICI dyes. I mixed some blue with red hoping to achieve purple but it all came out blue! It is on the lavender side of blue and I have a lot of blue wool, yarn and tops.
August 3, 2011
The Woolly bus nears completion
Thank you to all who sponsored me, I raised £46.00 for the Martlets Hospice and knitted ten squares, not many I know but every little helps! On August 20th the double decker bus covered in knitted squares will tour Brighton to raise awareness of the hospice. The squares will then be made into blankets and shipped out to Africa to keep AIDS victims warm and cosy.
